Sony has made it clear indie developers are very welcome on the PS4, and Sony is happy to let indies self-publish their games. But that’s not the case for Microsoft and the Xbox One.

Microsoft has confirmed that self-publishing is not an option for its new console, meaning all indie developers need to find a publisher to partner with to get their games on the Xbox One. That means hit indie games will likely not appear on the One, or if they do, will probably arrive later than on other platforms that allow self publishing.

Mike Bithell, the developer of Thomas Was Alone, has already said on Twitter that this decision means you won’t be seeing his games on the machine. He clearly won’t be the only indie taking that decision. I can’t see someone like Notch taking the time to deal with publishers, either. He’ll self publish on other platforms then consider a publishing deal down the line with Microsoft, if at all.

Microsoft has not given a definitive explanation as to why they aren’t embracing indies other than to say they don’t want to change away from their existing model. If you are an indie and want your game on Xbox One, then you’ll have to convince Microsoft Studios or some other publisher Microsoft has a relationship with to take on your game. Of course, that also means they’ll want a cut of the revenue and possibly even demand changes to the game.

Indie games development is certainly a growing market, and one that will surely continue to spawn many hits over the coming years. But it’s now very unlikely any of those hits will appear on Xbox One first due to the barrier requiring a publisher throws up.